Vehicle body cowl construction



Patented Oct. 14, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT- OFFICE 2,613,985 VEHICLE BODY CO'VVL CONSTRUCTION I Theodore Ulrich, Detroit, Micihl, assig nor to Nash Kelvinator Corporation, Kenosha, WiS., a, corporation of Maryland Application September 6, 1949, Serial No. 114,123

Claims. (01. 296 28 The invention relates to vehicle bodies and has particular reference to the arrangement of structural members at the forward end of the vehicle Whereby a rigid supporting structure is obtained which incorporates useful ancillary ob-' jectives.

The principal object of the invention is to provide an arrangement of structural members which will lend the necessary rigidity to that section of the vehicle which is immediately adjacent the r al p r 3 and h n l rly inolin rear end of the vehicle engine and at the same downward and outward portion have provided time provide a necessary hopper construction usea novel shelf-like construction for accommodatful in connection with the air conditioning system ng the pper assembl 10. he Wal s 3 and 4 of the vehicle. The arrangement 01 the strucof the dash panel 2 m t e eal a d bottom tural members additionally serves to provide de- W ls f the hopper assembly. T c mpl e the sirable leg room within the vehicle between the p r as ly I h ve provided d walls H d o t seat and the dash panel. 12 which consists of stamping formed to the con- Other objects and advantages of the invention figuration defined by dash panel W s 3 and will become apparent upon reading the following A rem0Vable COVer I3, s w in F u e comspecification and upon examination of the draw- P 8 the front W311 Of the pp m y and iners in which: provides means for having access to the interior Figure 1 is a front perspective view taken from of t hopper p r r p aceme t f th about a 30 angle of automotive vehicle disclosing parts f the r c n i in y m which r the invented subject matter; mounted within the hopper.

Figure2is an enlarged fragmentary front head A 1edge 00W1 I4 which Spans t V l on view of the sam v hi l and crosswise and which accommodates air intake Figure 3 is a, partial ti i t k on housing 8 is supported in its central region by line 33 of Figure 2. the hopper assembly I!) and is additionally sup- In the preferred embodiment of the invention D0 d throughout the remainder of its span by I have shown an automotive vehicle in Figure 1 the Wing members l6 and The wing members which generally discloses the subject matter of 1 d I 7 r f0 as s amp n s having p the invention. The principal structural member era1 fianges and The fiangeS I3 are fiat which separates the interior of the automotive aganst dash Panel portion 4 and l be We1ded vehicle from the engine compartment consists of thereto. Flanges I9 are fiat against the end walls alarge irregularly-shaped panel member 2. which I I and of e h r assembly d m y b is commonly referred to as being a dash panel. Welded theret0- h p r peripheral ed es of The configuration of the dash panel 2 15 shown wings lb and 17 may be welded directly to ledge to some extent in Figure 2 as Well as in Figure 3. I4 thereby providing a composite unified structure It will be noted that the dash panel 2 includes which in addition to serving as a hopper i a substantially vertically extending portion 3 40 PTOVdeS the necessary Supportng W311S the which merges with an angularly downwardly decross ledge 4- pending portion 4, which in turn merges with a Thus it can be seen that I have provided a second substantially vertically extending portion noVel uctu1 941 arrangement Whelem a SubStan- 5, which in turn merges ith n angular]y inc1ined tial portion. of the air conditioning system is portion 6, thereby providing a recessed area indimounted on the engine compartment side of the cated at l'on the vehicle interior side of the dash dash panel. thereby af0rding additi0nal leg room panel. This recessed area 1 provides adequate leg in the vehicle interior and additionally providing room for the front seat passengers. the necessary supporting structure for the cross With the development of the type of air condiledge 14 of the vehicle. tioning systems for automotive vehicles wherein Having thus described my invention, what I fresh air from outside the vehicle is permitted claimis: to enter the interior of the vehicle via soma ex- 1. A body construction for an automotive veterOr opening in the vehicle such as an air inhicle comprising a panel member forming a partake housing 8, it is necessary to provide means tition wall between the interior of the vehicle for disposing of the foreign elements which may and the engine compartment of the vehicle, said be present in the atmosphere. Particularly on a rainy day it is necessary to provide means for disposal of rain water which enters the air intake opening 9 at the front of housing 8. Herctofore it has been common practice to suspend a hopper unit from the dash panel somewhere within the interior of the vehicle. By providing a dash panel having the configuration as shown in Figure 3, which incorporates the substantially panel member extending from one side of the vehicle across to the opposite side, a section of said panel near the upper end thereof being inclined upwardly and inwardly toward the vehicle interior, and a further section of said panel continuing substantially vertically upwardly from the inclined section, a box-like member secured to the anel on the engine compartment side approximately centrally of the panel member with respect to opposite sides of the automotive vehicle, the overall length of said box-like member being less than one-half of the length of the panel member measured from opposite sides of the vehicle, and said box-like member having* as part of its walls a portion of theinclined and the substantially vertical sections of the panel, a pair of supporting wings secured on opposite sides of the box-like member, each wing extending outwardly from the box-like member, a roof panel member bridging the wings and the box-like member, said wings having their lower longitudinal edges secured to the panel and their upper longitudinal edges secured to the roof panel member and serving as supportingwalls forthe roof panelmember.

2. A body construction foran automotive vehicle comprising a panel member forming apartition wall between the-interior of the vehicle and the engine compartment ofthe vehicle, saidpanel member extending from one side of the vehicle acrosg to the opposite side, a section of said panel near the -upper end thereof being inclined upwardly and inwardly toward the vehicle interior, and a further section of said panel continuing substantiallyvertically upwardly from the inclined section, a box-like member securedto the panel on theengine compartment side appro :imately centrally of thepanel member with respect to opposite sides of the automotive vehicle, the overall length ofsaid box-like member being less than one-half of the length of the panel member measuredfrom opposite sides ol the vehicle, and said box-like member having as part of its walls a portion of theinelined and the substantially vertical sections of.

supporting wings seoured on opposite sides of the box-like member, each wing extendii1g outwardly from the box-like member, a roof panel member extending crosswise of the panel above-the box-like member and above the wings, said box-like member and said wings serving as support members-for the roof panel member.

3. A body construction for an automotive ve hicle comprising apanel member for-mine a partition wall between the interior of the vehicle and the engine compartment of the vehicle, a section of said panel near the upper end thereof being inclined upwardly and inwardly toward the vehicle interior, and a further section of said panel continuing substantially vertically upwardly irom the inclinedsection, a box-like member secured to the panel on the engine compartment side and liaving as part of its Walls the panel, a-pair or the inclined and the substantially vertical sections of the panel, said box-like member also having opposed side walls, each with two edges conforming to the contour of the inclined and substantially vertical sections of the panel member, a pair of supporting wings each with one edge abutting the side walls of the box-like member and extending outwardly away from the box-like member toward opposite sides of the vehicle, a roof panel member mounted above the box-like member and the wings and being secured thereto, whereby the box-lik member and the wings serve as support members for the roof panel member.

4. A body construction for an automotive vehicle comprisinga panel member forming a partition wall between the interior of the vehicle and the engine compartment of the vehicle, a portion of the panel member having a wall bent to provide one face defining an obtuse angle with respect to a second face, a box-like structure nestlect in the juncture of said faces; the panel member serving as a wall of the box-like structure; additional walls of' the box-like structure havingedges confcrmed to the obtuse angle of the panel member, the box-like structure having an opening. exposed to the engine compartment side*of the panel member,- and a removable cover closingsaid opening.

5. A- body construction for an automotive vehicle comprising a panel member forming apartition wall between the interior of the vehicle and theengine compartment of the vehicle, a portion of the panel member having a wall bent toprovicle one face defining an obtuse angle with respect to a second face, a box-litre structure nestled in the juncture of said faces, the panel member serving asa wall of thebox-like structure, additional wallsof the box-like structure having edges conformed to theobtuse angle of the panel member, a roof panel member mounted over the box-like structure and receiving support therefrom, wing members mounted exteriorly 01 the boxlike structure and interposed between one face of the panel member and the roof panel member providing additional support-for the roof panel member.

THEODORE ULRICH.

REFERENCES CIIED The: following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,371,522 Sizaire Mar; 15. 1921 1,883;464 Ball 1. Oct. 18, 1932 2,137323 Wallach Nov. 22, 1938 2,295,750 Norris et al. Sept. 15, 1942 2,551;528 Darrin May 1, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 39:818z V Netherlands' Je.n.l5*, 1937 

